By Ben Kerrigan-
The more contagious variant of the coronavirus has confirmed in France, in it’s first case.
The French health ministry said the individual was a French citizen in the central town of Tours who had arrived from London on 19 December.
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The ministry said the gentleman was asymptomatic, and currently self-isolating at home. What they did not say is how the new variant in an asymptomatic man came to their attention.
The news adds tension to the new coronavirus variant in England which has triggered travel curbs with dozens of countries, affecting the airline industry. The more countries in which the variant shows up, the more serious and tense the pandemic becomes.
France has had its fair share of lockdowns since the pandemic began, although Uk with one of the worst statistics of Covid-19 related deaths, is becoming one of the most frequent lockdown country, with another national lockdown expected in the new year.
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Border
France closed its border but ended its ban on Wednesday, providing people tested negative before travelling, after thousands of lorry drivers spent Christmas Day in their cabs in Kent waiting to cross the English Channel.
The infected person, a French national living in the UK, was feeling alright, it added without providing further details.
Other countries have also reported cases of the new variant: on Friday, Japan confirmed five infections in passengers who had all arrived from the UK, while cases in Denmark, Australia and the Netherlands were reported earlier.
Theatres , cinemas, bars and restaurant remain shut in the country, alongside a nationwide curfew effective from 20:00 to 06:00. The curfew was lifted for Christmas Eve – but will remain for New Year’s Eve.
France has reported more than 2.5 million confirmed Covid infections since the start of the outbreak, with more than 62,000 deaths.
The new variant first detected in England in September is blamed for sharp rises in levels of positive tests in recent weeks in London, the east of England and the South East.
About two-thirds of people testing positive in these areas could have the new variant – but this is only an estimate, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) says.
Three things are coming together that mean the new variant is attracting attention
Experts say there is no evidence that the new variant is more dangerous, and the leading vaccines developed in recent months should still work, experts say.
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